Sorry for not answering the right question – I had a sneaking feeling something wasn’t quite right!

Yes, the unit you stay in can affect your trip. The last suite we stayed in, in Waikiki, wasn’t half as nice as the one in Maui. It was clean and spacious, but really old. So, my first suggestion is to try not to let your accommodations make or break your trip! You’ll be spending most of your time on the gorgeous beach, by the sunny pool, shopping, sightseeing, and loving the balmy air — and where you sleep isn’t as important as where you ARE.

When I went to the Aston in Maui, we were spread out into 3 suites in total (big family). All 3 were updated, clean, and wonderful to stay in.

Before we decided on which 3 we’d stay in, the front desk people let us view several different suites, so we had our choice of where to stay. They’re all different layouts, views, sizes, etc, so we wanted to choose the best for us. We didn’t reject any room on the basis of being old or dirty — just on how we could best fit 10 people into 3 rooms.

The front desk people were very accommodating, and gave us the keys, letting us have free reign to check all the available suites out. We arrived late as well – but I don’t think it was 11:30 pm.

None of the units that I’m aware of actually face the parking lot, and the highway is too far to give you noise. Some of the suite doors face the parking lot, and in those the bathroom window does too, but those “views” don’t really matter!

Yes, I made my reservations directly through the Aston Kanapaali Villas. They gave me a garden suite room, but I asked to be closer to my family (who made separate reservations through Expedia or Red Tag, I believe).

And yes, I was able to choose an ocean view or garden view suite…but I really think it depends on how full the hotel is! If it’s not full, you have your choice, of course.

You could contact them directly by telephone; simply Google Aston Maui Kanaapali Villas….you could also book through a reservations website, which often allow you to choose the type of room you want. I seem to recall that contacting them directly wasn’t the cheapest way to go, but I can’t remember what site was cheaper. I did call the number on that reservations site, who gave me 10% off the regular rates.

For this last trip to Waikiki, we booked through Vacation Rentals.com. It worked out really well, though it took a long time to get a one bedroom suite with full kitchen for $99 a night! We booked late, only a month in advance. The suite was a block from the beach, right in Waikiki, and yet on a quiet street. As I said, it was old, but clean and spacious.

I hope this is helpful…sorry for not getting it right the first time!

Laurie

I just returned from Waikiki (on the Hawaiian island of Oahu) a couple days ago, and am envious of your upcoming trip! Very exciting. Whale watching is MUCH better on Maui than on Oahu – but I think the whales leave in March.

Regarding food shopping: I can’t remember the name of the grocery store that’s 20 minutes away…it’s HUGE, and is open 24 hours. It can be accessed along the road, if you keep going past the turn off to the Aston Kaanapali villas. But I always walked. I’d go to the beach, turn right, and then snake my way through one of other resort hotels, to get to the road with the grocery store. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific! But, if you ask the hotel staff where the big grocery store is — not the Safeway at Lahaina mall — they’ll be able to direct you.

I went with a big family, and we shopped for all our food at Costco, which is near the airport. That requires a car, but it’s worth the rental for the day – especially if you’re a big family. If you can use the car for a tour for the rest of the day, it’s a good use of a rental. I found the grocery stores very expensive, as compared to Vancouver grocery prices. I thought it was because Maui is an island and it costs more to ship things there, but now that I’ve shopped on Oahu I just think the location of the grocery store is what makes it expensive. It’s in the higher end tourist area. On Oahu, we found a grocery store that the locals shop at, and it was less expensive.

Yes, you can easily walk to all the resorts along the strip, including Whalers Village — depending, I guess, on how much you normally walk! It’s an easy walk, flat all the way, and took me less than 30 minutes to get to Whalers on foot, along the beach walk. Not power walking — just a leisurely stroll

If I recall correctly, there’s a free bus that takes you to Whalers. Good for kids and older people.

I hope this helps! Have a great trip. If other things occur to you, feel free to ask.

By the way – we happened to stay at the Aston in Waikiki, too. It wasn’t a deliberate choice; we just found a great condo through Vacation Rentals.com — a one bedroom with full kitchen for $99 per night.

Aloha!
Laurie

I can’t remember the name of the grocery store that’s 20 minutes away….it’s HUGE, and is open 24 hours. It can be accessed along the road, if you keep going past the turn off to the Aston Kaanapali villas. But I always walked. I’d go to the beach, turn right, and then snake my way through one of other resort hotels, to get to the road with the grocery store. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific! But, if you ask the hotel staff where the big grocery store is — not the Safeway at Lahaina mall — they’ll be able to direct you.

Yes, you can easily walk to Whalers Village! That’s a bit farther, maybe 30 minutes. I did a combination of boardwalk and beach walk when I went there I found Whalers Village to be expensive, though there is an ABC store there. Much, much better shopping is at the marina, where the big old banyan tree is. You can’t walk there easily, but it’s simple to hop a bus.

I can’t remember which resort the Royal Lahaina is — that stretch of beach has dozens of resort hotels! It’s SO MUCH fun, I loved it.

We did rent a car for the whole time we were there, but it was a waste of money. There’s so much to do along that stretch of beach, and there are so many tours that take you without hassle, maps, gas, insurance, etc. Of course, it depends on what you want to do when you’re in Maui.

In one week, we’re going to Waikiki — and we’re not renting a car. I thought about going back to Maui, but decided to try something new. This time, we booked our condo through Vacation Condos by Owner (vcbo.com, I believe). $99 a night for a one bedroom condo at the Waikiki Banyon….if it’s half as nice as the condo I had at the Aston Kaanapali in Maui, I’ll be thrilled!

Let me know if you have any other questions; I’ll try to answer. And, enjoy the anticipation of your upcoming vacation in Maui

Aloha,
Laurie